Memory Models

Question 1

What is the MSM?

Answer 1

Has 3 stores of remembering information - sensory memory, short term memory and long term memory.
All relevant info that is selected passes through the short term memory (selective attention).
Info passes from short term memory to long term memory via rehearsal.

Question 2

What is chunking?

Answer 2

Putting information into chunks to make them easier to remember.

Question 3

What is encoding?

Answer 3

The conversion of information into codes: visual, auditory and semantic.
Semantic - converting info according to meaning

Question 4

What is retreival?

Answer 4

Recovering the info that has been stored

Question 5

What is the short-term sensory store?

Answer 5

• info in the form of stimuli enters the brain from the environment
• the store has a capacity, but info is stored for only less than a second
• filtering takes place in the stimulus identification stage
• selective attention takes place in the ST sensory store - this is important in sport, where quick reactions depend on being able to concentrate on important info & to shut out distractions.

Question 6

What is the short term memory?

Answer 6

• 7+/- 2 items only held for no more than 30 seconds.
• info can also be held in the STM via chunking.
• if info is considered important and is rehearsed it can pass on to the LTM,
• if information is not considered important, it is lost.

Question 7

What is the long term memory?

Answer 7

• has almost limitless capacity and duration
• info is stored in long term by associating it with other meanings
• meaningless info is not stored for long periods of time.
• motor programmes are stored in the long term memory as they have been rehearsed many times.
• learning by rehearsal is often known as over learning.
• recall passes back through the short term memory.

Question 8

What is a memory traces?

Answer 8

When the brain cells retain or store information

Question 9

What is Craik and Lockhart levels of processing mode?

Answer 9

• explains how memory works
• explains what we do with info rather than how it is stored
• how deeply it is considered indicates how long the memory will last
• info has to be considered understood and has meaning.
• how much the info is considered is called the depth of processing
• the deeper the processing the longer the memory trace lasts

Question 10

What are the 3 levels of processing are there?

Answer 10

Structural - this is paying attention to what words look like
Phonetic - what the words sound like
Semantic - considers the meaning of the word

Question 11

What are the advantages of the MSM?

Answer 11

• simplify the memory process to aid understanding.
• explains how those with brain damage may have dysfunctional memory, showing distinction between ST and LT.

Question 12

What are the advantages of levels of processing?

Answer 12

• Explains that if we understand some info we are more likely to remember it.
• the longer we consider and analyse info the more we remember it.

Question 13

What are the disadvantages of the MSM?

Answer 13

• too simplifies: does not explain why we remember different types of info
• doesn’t prove the distinction or explain the interaction between ST & LT.

Question 14

What are the disadvantages of levels of processing approach?

Answer 14

• Time take processing info doesn’t always lead to better recall
• hard to define what deep processing involves
• doesn’t take into account individual differences